


War Changes Love

by GrandpaOfAll (Greyed_Viking)



Category: Legend of Zelda & Related Fandoms, Linked Universe - Fandom, The Legend of Zelda: Hyrule Warriors
Genre: Fighting, Hyrule Warriors meets Linked Universe, I wrote this for me but you can read it too, Kissing, Linked Universe, M/M, Oh ho ho Ravio with a hammer... good, Ravio is annoying even when he isn’t a coward, Self-Indulgent, War, War changed Ravio
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-10
Updated: 2020-08-10
Packaged: 2021-03-06 05:35:37
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,655
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25828306
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Greyed_Viking/pseuds/GrandpaOfAll
Summary: This is self-indulgent.Ravio ends up in a war that isn’t his, and lets it change him. When he runs into Legend, the love of his life, what will he do? Will Warriors help him out? Or will they have to duke it out on the sparring grounds?
Relationships: Midna/Link (implied), Midna/Twilight (implied), Ravio & Link, Ravio & Warriors, Ravio/Legend, Ravio/Link
Comments: 8
Kudos: 156





	War Changes Love

“Ravio. You can’t throw yourself into battles unprepared. You can’t, you’re going to get yourself killed. I don’t want that,” Link said carefully. Ravio mumbled an apology and Link’s heart melted. The rabbit man could be so timid outside of battle. Sighing, Link continued.

“I’m taking you off the frontlines. I’m putting you into the reserves.”

“ _ What? _ ” Ravio gasped. “What do you mean you’re taking me off the frontlines? It’s where I belong!” Link pursed his lips. He thought Ravio would be happy but, well, obviously he wasn’t.

“Ravio, you aren’t from here. I want to get you home safely, not in a coffin.” Ravio glared at him, leaning across Link’s makeshift desk to jab him in the chest with a finger.

“That’s  _ my  _ choice, not yours,” He hissed. Link held his hands up in defeat.

“I thought you’d be happy being safer!” Link spoke exasperatedly.

“Well I’m not! Do you ever think maybe I  _ like  _ the thrill of the frontlines?” Ravio yelled.

“You don’t and you know it,” Link pushed Ravio’s hand away, rounding his desk to get in the smaller man’s face. “You don’t, you’re just afraid of what’s in your head, that hero of yours, and you want a distraction.” The two men stared at each other for a few moments before Link sighed.

“Ravio, please.” Link begged quietly, but Ravio wasn’t having it.

“You’re in my way,” He snapped, pushing past Link. Link growled, deep in his throat. Following after Ravio, Link grabbed his shoulder and swung the purple clad man around.

“Just because you’re from a different time and knew the hero then, doesn’t mean you get to undermine my authority, Ravio,” Link snarled. Ravio snarled back.

“Do you think I  _ want  _ to be here, Captain? You  _ really  _ think I want to be in an unknown time where I know no one else, and to fight in a war that isn’t my own?” Ravio scoffed. “You’re dumber than I feared. Maybe it’s the Hero’s spirit; it makes you courageous but  _ stupid. _ ”

Link froze for a second and it was all Ravio needed to pull away and stomp out of the tent.

“Fuck,” Link muttered, running a hand through his hair. That could have gone better. It was supposed to be a simple reprimand, telling Ravio not to throw himself into the middle of the fray where he could easily get hurt, killed even. Instead, it had become a shouting match.

It wasn’t too long before a scout came to Link’s tent to tell him they had found a mysterious magic source. With a sigh, he grabbed his sword and followed the scout to the source. Of course, when it came apparent that the magic source was a form of a portal, Link offered to investigate it.

“Are you sure, Captain?” Impa said, arms crossed. Link nodded, and stepped through.

-

“Where are we?” Wind yelled over the din of the battlefield. The other Links didn’t spare him a glance. They had noticed it too. As they fought, the scenery around them changed, morphing into something new.

“What’s it matter, Wind, we’re kind of  _ busy right now, _ ” Legend shouted back, slicing into a moblin. The creature howled, and fell to the ground, dead. Spinning around, Time caught two bokoblins in the face before glancing around.

“It looks like an abandoned battlefield,” Time exclaimed, diving to help Warriors fend off a nasty looking moblin. Warriors froze at Time’s words, taking a sword to the arm for his troubles.

The monsters were finished off quickly after that, much to Warriors’ chagrin. Hobbling over to Hyrule, Warriors drank the red potion the man offered.

“Looks like my Hyrule,” He said, motioning with his good arm. “Looks like the battlegrounds have moved on.”

“Not quite, Captain,” Twilight said. Pointing north, the Links noticed a group of tents. Warriors squinted.

“That looks like my troops’ tents,” He muttered, moving towards the tents. The Links trailed behind him, looks of worry passing between them. They knew Warriors had it rough, being in the middle of a war. But were they fixing to lose him to the warfront? Once the other commanders saw that he was back, wouldn’t they want to keep him?

Shaking their heads, the Links followed Warriors into the largest tent. Inside stood a woman with silver hair and another woman who appeared to be the princess. Both the princess and the silver-haired lady seemed unsurprised to see Warriors.

“Captain, welcome back. I assume you found what was through the portal?” The silver-hair lady asked. Warriors nodded and gestured towards the Links. The women nodded, seeming pleased with this. Time stepped forward, bowing. The princess smiled at the action and waved her hand, giving Time permission to speak.

“We are heroes of Courage for ages past and ages to come. We believe Hylia has pulled us together for a reason. We would be honored if you could give us some place to rest for the time being,” Time stated. The princess nodded thoughtfully. Before she could say anything however, a young soldier bursted into the tent.

“Your Majesty, he’s done it again!” The princess sighed, rubbing her temples.

“Send him to the infirmary, he has wounds, no doubt. Tell him I–” She paused, zeroing in on Warriors. “Tell him  _ the Captain _ will be seeing him.”

“Yes, Your Majesty,” The soldier said, bowing to the princess. He saluted Warriors with a smile. “It’s good to see you again, Captain,” And with that, he was gone. Warriors sighed, messing his hair up with one hand. The Links looked at him expectantly, waiting for an explanation. Turning around, Warriors turned, looking at Legend. Locking eyes, Warriors began to speak.

“So… As you all know, my Hyrule is in the middle of a war. What you don’t know is this; Some of your friends are here. Apparently there have been… Dimensional rips, that some of them came through. They have been helping with the war while we look for a way to send them home,” Warriors said, breaking eye contact with Legend. “Time knows a little about this. He… He is actually here. A younger version of him. We call him Young Link,” Closing his eyes, Warriors sighed. “Let’s see… Midna’s here, Agitha is here, I believe they’re from your world, Twilight.”

Twilight gasped. He nodded, looking out of the tent, but turned to listen when Warriors continued. He named a few others that the others recognized, but then trailed off, looking at Legend. Legend growled, taking a step forward, grabbing Warriors by his collar. The silver-haired lady drew a staff, ready to fight Legend, but stopped when he spoke, voice shaking.

“Tell me he isn’t here. Please. This place, this war, it’s no place for him,” Warriors didn’t answer. Legend shook him, screaming, “Tell me, Warriors! Tell me he isn’t here!”

The tent flaps flipped open, and a voice spoke. “Captain, it’s good to see–  _ Link? _ ” All the Links flipped around and watched as Twilight fell into the arms of a woman with markings all over her. They fell to the ground, Twilight practically whimpering as the woman patted his head. “Shh, shh, it’s okay Link, I’m here, I’m here, let me look at you, shh,” She spoke with authority, but gentleness all the same.

“You, you left me, you shattered the mirror, I thought you were gone forever,” Twilight cried. He lifted his head, staring into the woman’s eyes. “Midna, I thought I would never see you again.”

Midna’s eyes were soft, staring down at Twilight, until she caught a good look at his markings. “Link…” She said roughly, yanking his hair up to get a better look at the markings. “What the Demise did you do? Did you overuse the crystal? Didn’t I tell you to use it sparingly?”

“Ow, that hurts, let go, Midna!” Twilight whined. Midna let go, shoving him off her lap. She stood up, pulling herself to her full height. “Did you or did you not overuse the crystal?”

“Damn, I don’t know, probably? I use it whenever I need to, which is a lot,” Twilight answered, rubbing his head. Midna glared at him and huffed.

“Stupid wolfie, you’re going to get stuck like that if you aren’t careful and I won’t be around to save you,” She sniffed, turning to Warriors who was still in Legend’s clutches. “It’s good to see you alive, Captain. He’s in the infirmary when you’re ready to tear him a new one,” She spun on her heel, leaving the tent. Twilight yelled, taking off after her.

Warriors carefully removed Legend’s hands from his collar. “Feel free to stay here or wander the camp. Stay out of trouble. I have soldiers to attend to. Princess Zelda, Lady Impa,” He muttered, bowing to the princess and the silver-haired woman. Turning to leave, he grabbed Legend’s arm. “Follow me.”

Legend nodded, falling into step with Warriors as they stalked through camp. Several soldiers exclaimed when they saw Warriors, saluting him or giving welcoming remarks. Legend was pretty sure he saw Midna and Twilight in a tent they passed, arguing. He observed the people of the camp as they walked. He saw someone who looked a lot like Wind, a girl with butterflies surrounding her, and someone who looked like a younger version of the princess talking to a pirate among the many soldiers. Warriors stopped in front of a tent, and looked at Legend.

“This probably won’t be pretty, you know this right?” Warriors’ voice was full of emotion but Legend couldn’t place what emotion it was. He nodded regardless. He knew the infirmary wouldn’t be nice and pleasant. It was the fucking infirmary for a reason.

Pushing past the tent flaps, Legend and Warriors entered the tent. Legend glanced around. He saw what appeared to be a Zora talking to an injured Goron, and some soldiers. Then his eyes landed on the person he didn’t want to see the most. Ravio.

He was in the back of the tent, laying on a cot with a red potion in hand, swirling the liquid this way and that with a grimace. The field doctor next to him was bandaging his ankle, griping. Legend could hear the doctor say something about, “this was the third time this week and it was only Monday,” and, “you’re too smart to be an idiot but reckless enough to make that notion false.” Legend swallowed hard, watching the way Ravio swallowed the red potion like it was water. Ravio hated potions, he said they tasted like spoiled meat. This obviously wasn’t the first potion he had.

“I don’t think I can do this, Warriors,” Legend whispered. Warriors ignored him and kept walking towards Ravio. Legend followed behind him slowly, staying out of Ravio’s eyesight.

“Ravio,” Warriors said firmly. Ravio looked up, unsurprised. 

“Captain, what goddess blessed us with your return?” He said, taking another sip of his potion. The doctor waved a hand at Warriors, acknowledging him, but continuing to wrap Ravio’s ankle. The bandages were already turning red, Legend noted. The thought made him a little sick. This whole sight did. Ravio shouldn’t be here. He was a lover not a fighter.

“Ravio.” Warriors said again. “Did you disobey direct orders again?” Ravio scoffed, mocking him. “Answer me, soldier,” Warriors barked out and Legend automatically reacted.

“He is not a  _ soldier,  _ Warriors, he’s a fucking  _ merchant. _ He can’t even hold a blade correctly,” Legend spat out, shoving Warriors aside so he was in Ravio’s line of sight. Ravio gaped, mouth wide.

“L-L-Link?” He stuttered, pale as a sheet. Legend paid him no mind, choosing instead to continue to yell at Warriors, until Ravio forcibly grabbed his arm and flipped him around. “What in Din’s name are you doing here?” Ravio snarled angrily.

“What are  _ you  _ doing here, huh? A broken ankle, drinking a potion like it’s nothing, and more angry than you have the right to be!” Legend snapped. Ravio physically flinched at his words, but held his ground as best he could. 

“Wouldn’t you like to know,  _ Mr. Hero? _ ” Ravio seethed. Legend growled in warning, but before he could say anything, Ravio continued. “Wouldn’t you like to know how a  _ coward  _ fights on the frontlines every day? With little chance of  _ ever _ going home? Little chance of ever seeing the  _ one _ person he cares about? Oh wait, I forgot, that’s a fucking  _ laughable notion,  _ I guess I should just stay here  _ where I’m actually wanted! _ ”

Warriors cleared his throat.

“This is no place to fight. I don’t know what went down the last time you two talked, but this is no time to air dirty laundry,” He said softly. Legend huffed and turned away from Ravio, stomping out of the tent. Ravio watched him go, pained by the sight. Warriors simply stood by his bedside. Ravio opened his mouth, but no words were passed between the two.

Sighing, Ravio waited for the doctor to be done wrapping his ankle before changing positions on the bed. The two continued to sit in silence for some time, simply watching the others in the tent. Princess Ruto laughed at something Darunia said. The soldiers talked amongst themselves. The doctor was digging for some potions. Finally, Ravio whispered to Warriors. 

“He doesn’t understand. I was a coward. I was afraid of the evil Yuga brought to my already poor land. So I ran away. I found him and he saved us all. But… Well, when I found this land, I was reminded of my own and realized I couldn’t hide in my shadow any longer. War doesn’t wait for soldiers, it just takes and takes until there’s nothing left for anyone. I couldn’t let that happen. Not to anyone else. It was my turn to be the courageous one,” Ravio bit his lip. Warriors didn’t reply, simply letting the rabbit man talk.

“He doesn’t get that though. I know he sees me as nothing but a coward and a greedy merchant. It hurts because I see him as so much more than a hero. And maybe, for once, I wanted to do something that would make me more than a coward,” Tears hit Ravio’s clenched fists. Warriors sighed softly.

“You aren’t a coward, Ravio. And Lege– Link doesn’t see you as a coward. He sees you as a friend. He’s worried about you. I know it’s hard to believe that bu–”

“I told him I loved him and he ran away,” Ravio interrupted. Warriors stilled. “I told him I fucking loved him and he laughed at me, then ran away when he realized I was serious. He left through the portal the next day.”

“Oh.”

“‘Oh’ is right,” Ravio griped, swirling the dregs of the potion in the bottle. “I… I was glad when I got here because I discovered when I fight, I don’t think about him. And it was nice. But I’ve changed so much since getting here. I’m reckless, angry, a fighter. I’m not the cowardly merchant he knew. What if he doesn’t like who I’ve become?”

Warriors’ eyes softened at his words. “You know, he talks in his sleep about you. We all agreed not to tell him because we figured he would be embarrassed.”

“We?” Ravio questioned. Warriors laughed and motioned for Ravio to follow him, handing him a crutch that sat nearby. Ravio hobbled after him, curiosity filling him.

As they walked, Warriors explained the situation. Ravio asked a few questions but ultimately fell silent. Warriors slowed, turning to look at the rabbit man. He was reminded of the first time he met Ravio, all those months ago. 

It had been a long day, full of fighting, when a footsoldier ran into his tent. Panting, the man told Warriors about “another dimensional rip” and the man that had fallen through it, wielding a hammer. Warriors had come to investigate, and found the purple clad man leaning on a bright red hammer, offering a few soldiers a fire rod for “the low, low price of 3,000 rupees!” Warriors had snorted and introduced himself as Link, the Captain of the Guard. Ravio’s face had drained, and he stuttered out a hello. It had been a few weeks later before Warriors had found out that Ravio knew another Link, another hero, which was why his face had gone so pale.

“So you two aren’t alone? That’s… good,” Ravio finally said, shocking Warriors out of his memories. He nodded absently. Glancing around, he spotted Wind speaking to Tetra and Toonie, the Link that looked so similar to Wind. Warriors guided Ravio over to the group, before greeting them.

“Heya Captain!” Toonie and Tetra said in unison. Wind smiled from his place hanging off Tetra’s arm.

“Wind, this is Ravio. Ravio, this is Wind, one of the other Links,” Warriors said. “Have you all seen Legend?” The three kids shook their heads. Warriors sighed.

Wind lit up after a moment. “Oh! I did hear Time shout Legend’s name earlier, so he might be with Time! Why are you looking for him?”

Warriors side-eyed Ravio before responding carefully with, “We need to talk to him about something,” Wind narrowed his eyes looking between them before connecting the dots.

“ _ Oh _ . Oh, I understand. Good luck you two!” Wind said with a wink. Ravio blushed and Warriors led him away from the group.

“He’s young, isn’t he?” Ravio said thoughtfully. Warriors nodded but didn’t respond. They met a few of the other Links, stopping to talk each time. Eventually, they reached the edge of camp and Warriors spotted Time standing by a large tree with his eyes closed.

“Time! Have you seen Legend?”

Time opened his good eye and looked between the two men. Closing his eye, he shook his head slowly. Warriors sighed, frustrated. “Where is he?” Ravio looked at the ground and mumbled. “What?” Warriors asked, turning to him.

“It’s my fault. I upset him and he doesn’t want to see me so he’s hiding from you all. If I–” Ravio snuffled, “If I hadn’t told him I loved him, he wouldn’t be so mad and cagey,”

Warriors’ face softened into a gentle, but sad smile. “Ravio, it’s not your fault. Legend might be mad, but that’s on him, not you.” Ravio sniffled, balling his fists up. He was so angry, not at Link, not at the Captain, but at himself. He knew that he shouldn’t have told Link how he felt but he couldn’t help it; he was in love with everything about the hero and hated to lie to him. And now here they were. Playing a cruel game of hide-n-seek because Link couldn’t bear to look at his face.

“I’m going to go spar, I’ll see you later, Captain,” Ravio left, hobbling away. Warriors watched him go, pity in his heart. This wasn’t fair. The bunny man deserved better.

“Warriors?” Time’s voice seemed to echo in the small area they stood in. “Don’t be mad at Legend. This is not his fault, and neither is it Ravio’s. It’s just an unfortunate situation they will eventually have to face, together, whether as friends, lovers, or enemies.” Time pushed off the tree he was leaning on. Placing a hand on Warriors’ shoulder, he leaned in. “Don’t force them to talk, either. This is something they have to do naturally.”

Sighing, Warriors left Time, going around camp, greeting his soldiers and new recruits. He had been gone for a  _ while _ it seemed. Finally, he made it to the sparring grounds where Ravio was, sparring with his hammer against… Was that Legend? Holy shit. This was not good. This was the opposite of good.

Running over, he could hear Ravio yelling as he swung his hammer.

“You’re stupid! I don’t know why I ever loved you! All you do is insult me and mock me and leave me for months on end! You’re a terrible friend and I  _ hate you _ !” Ravio’s words were sharp, jabbing remarks. Legend visibly gritted his teeth, striking back with both his words and sword.

“Oh yeah? You’re a coward fighting a war that  _ isn’t yours _ , when you couldn’t even gather the courage to fight  _ your own fight,  _ and relied on  _ me  _ to save you and your entire land! You’re nothing but a selfish  _ brat _ !” Ravio knocked the sword out of Legend’s hand with a quick snap of his hammer. Fire and tears filled his eyes.

“Oh  _ I’m  _ the coward? At least I’m honest about my feelings and don’t run away from my so-called  _ friends _ ! At least I can sleep at night knowing it isn’t  _ my fault  _ that you’re such a  _ cowardly bastard! _ ” Ravio shouted, shoving past Legend, hammer gripped in one hand. Legend grabbed his arm, spinning Ravio around.

Sticking a finger in Ravio’s chest, Legend hissed, “I’m not a cowardly bastard, you asshole. I ran away because I was afraid, sure, but you know exactly why I did it.” Ravio scoffed.

“I rather hear you admit it,  _ coward, _ ” Ravio sneered. Legend snarled, pulling Ravio down by his collar. Without hesitation, his lips were pressed against Ravio’s in a rough dance of power. Ravio’s mouth pushed back against Legend’s, just as hard. Warriors stood there in shock along with the soldiers who were watching the sparring match.

Finally, they pulled away from each other. Legend practically shoved Ravio off of him, his cheeks a dark red. “I did it because I love you too and I didn’t know what to do, okay? Running away seemed easier than admitting it,” He said, sulking. Ravio laughed, wrapping an arm around Legend’s shoulder.

“Let’s go to my tent and talk. I’m sure the Captain would rather us not ‘air dirty laundry’ everywhere,” Ravio said, winking at Warriors. Legend nodded, following the purple clad man away.

“I will never understand love,” Warriors muttered, heading back to the main tent. If Legend and Ravio were missing at dinner, Warriors didn’t say anything. That was their problem, not his.


End file.
